Applied Research最新文献

The TiO₂ thin film, Ag NP and three Ag-NP/TiO₂ composite thin films (COMP-Ag_n; n = 20, 50, and 75 Ag mol%) were successfully fabricated on quartz glass. The optical properties of the composite electrodes were investigated, and the results indicate a surface plasmonic resonance peak at 410 nm while the electrical resistivity of the composite thin films improved up to 6.9 × 10⁻⁵ Ω cm. The photo-response threshold of the Ag-NP/TiO₂ composite thin films was enhanced and shifted into the visible and near-infrared when the chlorophyll dye was adsorbed onto them. The hall effect was performed on the fabricated thin films and the charge carrier concentrate value confirmed that the Ag/TiO₂ with Ag concentrate >45% are found to be p-type. The n-types were observed till the Ag content in TiO₂ was increased up to 45 mol%. COMP-Ag75 has a charge carrier concentration of 1.3 × 10⁻¹⁹ cm⁻³ as a p-type electrode was then employed to construct a p-DSSC. Such enhancement on photovoltaic activity can be attributed to the generated Z-scheme system in the anatase/rutile phase-junction Ag/TiO₂ photocathode enhances the separation, diffusion, and transformation of electron/hole pairs inside the structure. This p-DSSC exhibits a photon-electrical conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.37%. The PCE recorded is equal to or greater than those of traditional high-efficiency n-DSSCs. This allows the creation of a new generation of photocathodic p-DSSCs with previously unheard-of unprecedentedly high concentrations of Ag (up to 80 mol%) evenly scattered in a TiO₂ matrix, and this efficacy is the highest ever reported for a p-type working Ag/TiO₂/chlorophyll/iodine electrode. This may enable the use of this electrode as a component of photosensitizer tandem devices.

Free energies G(X)_n of 12 1,ω-dihydrooligomers (X)_n (n, number of the monomeric units) have been determined by quantum calculations. We note that these values are correlated by (a) an excellent linear relationship: G(X)_n = An – 761.86 ± 10 (kcal mol^–1) (TPSS-TPSS/6.311 + + G(dp)); (b) for two oligomers (X)_n and (Y)_n, the difference of weighted free energies—G(X)_n/n – G(Y)_n/n—is a constant irrespective of n which results from the difference of free energies of the substituent. Consequently, from the G_n values of 1,ω-dihydrooligoethenes (in fact n-alkanes), a determination of the free energies of a 1,ω-dihydrooligomers (X)_n is obtained with a good accuracy by the calculation of the G value of its substituent; (c) the corresponding increments G(X)_n/n – G(X)_(n–1)/(n–1) are equaled and led to a single power law: [G_n/n – G_(n–1)/(n–1) = 1282/n^2.156 (kcal mol^–1), R = 0.9992] or a linear relationship: [G_n/n – G_(n–1)/(n–1) = 756.73/n(n–1) + 0.0211 (kcal mol^–1), R = 1]. Syndiotactic and isotactic 1,ω-dihydrooligomers (X) are illustrated in the Electronic Supporting Information.

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) is the ninth most common cancer that accounts for 4.7% of all new cancer cases globally. UCC development and progression are due to complex and stochastic genetic programs. To study the cascades of molecular events underlying the poor prognosis that may lead to limited treatment options for advanced disease and resistance to conventional therapies in UCC, transcriptomics technology (RNA-Seq), a method of analyzing the RNA content of a sample using modern high-throughput sequencing platforms has been employed. Here, we review the principles of RNA-Seq technology and summarize recent studies on human bladder cancer that employed this technique to unravel the pathogenesis of the disease, identify biomarkers, discover pathways and classify the disease state. We list the commonly used computational platforms and software that are publicly available for RNA-Seq analysis. Moreover, we discussed the future perspectives for RNA-Seq studies on bladder cancer and recommended the application of a new technology called single-cell sequencing to further understand the disease.

In this Application Note, a versatile and reliable measurement system for photoelectrochemical investigations is described which aims to assist scientists in obtaining reproducible photoelectrochemical data of high quality, including the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency. Specifically, it addresses the parameters irradiation quality, reaction temperature, and gas measurement. The setup is designed to exclude stray light and uses a solar-grade mirror to reflect the light of a vertical solar simulator on the electrochemical cell. The light quality in the setup (»AAA«, IEC 60904-9) is close to the classification of the solar simulator itself. The temperature in the electrochemical cell is controlled with an external Peltier element and can be kept constant in the range of 20–45°C. The influence of reaction temperature on the photocurrent of a WO₃ photoanode is demonstrated. The gaseous reaction products are analyzed with a mobile gas chromatograph, using an automated measurement routine with discontinuous sampling from the electrochemical cell. The system is applied to determine the Faraday and STH efficiencies of a copper indium gallium selenide photocathode.

This work proposes k-space filters with the option to fine-tune the filter's strength. The application is in MRI imaging. The novelty of this paper is the multiplication of the filtering functions by the Sinc Function so as to obtain the Sinc-shaped convolving function. The effect of this multiplication is visible in k-space where a central region is formed and it acts as a k-space filter. Worth noting in Figure 12 is the finesse of high-frequency components depicted by the intensity-curvature functional (ICF). Read the article here https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/appl.202200109.

A set of organic ligands of different natures has been investigated as complexing-type corrosion inhibitors for the protection of low carbon steel in an acidic medium. The inhibitive mechanism implying the formation of phase protective layers on the metal surface as a result of the complexation process of added organic ligands with the metal cations is being discussed. The results of the investigation of the influence of pH and temperature conditions on the phase layers formation dynamics have been presented. A range of practical aspects of the application of organic ligands as complexing-type inhibitors for the formation of ultrathin coatings have been discussed. The stability constant of the metal–ligand complex and its solubility have been proposed as the basis of a predictive model for analytical assessment of their potential protective efficiency.

Caspase-1 is a central component of the cellular inflammatory response, in particular with respect to its key role in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Activation of caspase-1 ensures the cleavage and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18, as well as the initiation of pyroptosis, that is a distinct form of programmed cell death. Hence, a wide-ranging analysis of caspase-1 in cellular systems is of special interest. To meet this requirement, we improved a commercial luminescence-based caspase-1 activity assay and combined it with the determination of the expression and release of caspase-1 protein, using murine J774A.1 macrophages as a model system for in vitro studies. The presented assay procedure offers additional options over commercially available caspase-1 activity assays as it allows for: (i) The simultaneous analysis of caspase-1 activity and protein expression (both intracellular as well as secreted protein in supernatant) out of the same cell sample. (ii) A more economical use of valuable compounds and materials and improves the informative value of each measurement, since all results are generated from the same cell sample. Our optimized assay is therefore suitable for an efficient and reliable screening of modulatory effects of compounds of interest at various regulatory stages of the caspase-1 system.

The effect of the simultaneous presence of fluoride (0.15–1.2 mg L⁻¹), bicarbonates (83.6–596 mg L⁻¹), and synthesized goethite (0.3 mg L⁻¹) at typical concentrations often found in groundwater samples was evaluated on the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) at pH 6.9 under simulated sunlight irradiation (300 W m⁻²) and H₂O₂ concentrations of 10 mg L⁻¹. The 2,4-D removal was strongly enhanced by the presence of fluoride. F⁻ could modify the surface of iron (hydr)oxide, leading to the formation of surface Fe–F bonds benefiting the formation of free ^•OH, producing upward band bending, reducing the electron-hole recombination, and enhancing the electron transfer to H₂O₂. On the other hand, bicarbonate may react with ^•OH generating CO₃^−• species that could participate in pollutant oxidation, while solar light-induced H₂O₂ photolysis also played an important role in removing 2,4-D. These findings suggest that tuning of iron (hydr)oxides by fluoride could take place in real groundwater, generating photocatalysts with a high activity that could participate, by adding H₂O₂, in the enhancement of sunlight photoinduced natural abiotic processes for pollutant abatement.

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles immobilized on microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) are studied for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions from an aqueous solution. Composites of iron oxide and MCC were synthesized with a 5%–20% loading of iron (w/w%). The effect of pH, concentration, and contact time was studied. The adsorption isotherms were fitted to nonlinear Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms, and kinetics were studied for pseudo-first and second-order kinetic fit models. Adsorption of Pb(II) ions increased with increasing pH value up to 5. Maximum adsorption of Pb(II) was observed up to 299.91 mg⁻¹ in D-R equilibrium for onto MCC-Iron oxide composite for composite with iron loading of 20% at pH 5.

Microplastics are widely distributed in aquatic and terrestrial environments, but up to now less is known about (eco)toxicological impacts under realistic conditions. Research so far has focused mainly on impacts on organisms by fresh, single-origin plastic fragments or beads. However, plastics found in the environment are complex in composition, this means different polymer types and sources, with and without additives and in all stages of age, and therefore, in a more or less advanced stage of degradation. For oxidized degradation products that might be released from plastic materials during aging, there is a lack of information on potentially adverse effects on aquatic biota. The latter is of particular interest as oxidized degradation products might become more water soluble due to higher polarity and are more bioavailable, therefore. The present study focused on plastic leachates of polystyrene (PS) and polylactic acid (PLA), which were derived from alternating stress by hydrolysis and ultraviolet (UV) radiation—representing a realistic scenario in the environment. Test specimens of PS, PLA, or a PLA/PS layer (each 50%) were alternately exposed to UV radiation for 5 days followed by hydrolysis for 2 days, for several weeks alternating. Ecotoxicological effects of the storage water (artificial freshwater) of the test specimens and additionally, in a second experimental setup, the effects of five potential polymer degradation products were detected by 72 h algae growth inhibition tests with Desmodesmus subspicatus. Results clearly indicate inhibitory effects on algae growth by contaminants in the storage water of stressed plastics with increasing growth inhibition of proceeding hydrolysis and UV stress times. Different polymers caused variable inhibitions of algae growth with stronger inhibitions by PS and less effects by PLA and the mixed layer of both. Moreover, not microplastic particles but the resulting dissolved degradation products after aging caused the ecotoxicological effects—with strong effects by the oxidized degradation products. The existing data highlight the relevance of plastic aging as a framework for microplastic ecotoxicity evaluation and allow a proof of concept.